In January 2007, media the world over noted the passing, at age 96, of Momofuku Ando, the inventor of instant ramen. When I found out that Ando's funeral would be held at a baseball stadium in Osaka, I used frequent flier miles to get there.

In an attempt to give new meaning to the term "cancer sticks," a cancer-fighting group is suing hot dog manufacturers to force them to put warning labels on their products alerting consumers to the increased cancer risks from eating processed meats.

This could be the greatest tragedy of the recession for the U.K.: Humble British pubs -- the kind of place Britons can go for a relaxing pint (or five) and chips on the way home from work -- are closing at a rate of 52 a week, according to the British...

When it comes to health-care safety nets, one of the oldest and leakiest is COBRA, the 1986 law that allows workers to continue their employer-sponsored health insurance for a while after they leave their companies.

A Dutch court has taken the wind out of the sails of the 13-year old girl who wants to be the youngest person to sail solo around the globe and her enabling parents. The court gave child welfare authorities temporary guardianship of Laura Dekker and...